The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Mark Rosen of the University of Michigan talks about attracting people of honorable character to his program: coaching staff, strength and conditioning staff, players and support staff. Rosen teaches his team to distinguish between "emotional-based decisions" vs. "character-based decisions," and how to think honorably about the outcomes of a particular decision. Talent vs. hard work: […] The post Coaching secrets: People of character and power of mindset appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Challenge players to consistently pass on-target balls with a free ball, down-ball, and serving variations. How it Works: 6 players set up a normal rotation. All the remaining players take turns throwing free balls to the opposite side. The side that's playing the balls out must get 25 good free ball passes (and attempt […] The post Multi-skill 25-15-10 drill appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

One of the problems associated with coaching superior athletes is providing competitive challenges for them in daily practice, especially when one athlete is far superior to his or her teammates. Without sufficient challenges, such athletes may develop a half-hearted work ethic that inhibits their progress. The solution to this problem lies in creating competitive situations […] The post Push superior players with tougher drills appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Rose explains his flexible outlook on game-time lineups, subbing, team energy and emotional impact, and scouting reports. Key points: When choosing a lineup for games, several factors must be considered: the opponent, your team’s confidence in certain rotations, your team’s depth of subs, and how a change in the lineup from game to game […] The post Game planning: What you need to be successful appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Russ Rose of Penn State University breaks down how simple coaching can be during a match. Noticing the major trends of the opposing team and how your team can adjust can be a straightforward, simple adjustment. Over-coaching during a match can burden the players, who are already enduring many emotions during an intense match. Even […] The post What’s the simple game plan? appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Toni Zimmerman is a marriage and family studies professor at Colorado State University. She formerly was a sports psychology consultant to athletic teams using family therapy techniques to build team unity. Excerpted from the book “Winning the Athletic Mental Game” edited by John Sikes Jr. Address the motivational differences between men and women athletes and […] The post Considerations for men coaching women’s athletics appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Challenge servers to serve tough and accurately, and challenge passers to work hard for playable passes. How it works: 2 passers will be on the court, one in right back and the other in left back. All other players will be alternating serving to the 2 passers. Put 2 markers on the passer's side […] The post Serving progression drill appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

John Dunning of Stanford University says that players always assume that there is "criticism in coaching." For Dunning, choosing when to coach is critical for maintaining a team's confidence. He says it is easy to over-coach and erode a player's confidence in their skills. To counter this, he makes an effort to connect with every […] The post Building confidence and patience appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Use the AcuSpike to train players to hit the ball straight-on in out-of-system plays. How it works: Set up the AcuSpike in left front facing middle back, simulating a set from an out-of-system play. Attackers will line up behind the 10-foot line and perform several reps each, contacting the ball straight on and directing […] The post Using AcuSpike to practice out-of-system attacking appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Ben Josephson of Trinity Western University and Mark Barnard of Oregon State University talk through setting techniques that they teach their athletes. For the women's game, the tempo of the game is slightly slower so setters should expect the passed ball to be delivered close to the net. For the men's game, the tempo is […] The post Men’s vs Women’s Skill Comparison: Setting bad passes appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

One of the biggest fallacies underlying time management and organization, however, is that people rarely create the opportunities needed to accomplish the things that matter most to them. Most get bogged down by "to-do" lists that include everything but their priorities. Understand what time is, and you'll learn to use it more efficiently. How often […] The post Better time management for coaches appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Mike Sealy, Head Coach at UCLA, keeps his players well informed, eager to improve, and constantly engages in coach-team dialogue about goals. Every player has a "why" for their sport. As a coach, tapping into each player's "why" and applying that to practice and games keeps motivation high. Aligning the player's values with some aspect […] The post Involving your players in the process appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Train your team to adapt to out-of-system plays. By incorporating an active rotation during the drill, each player must practice out-of-system setting to be more comfortable with the skill. How it works: Have 4 players on each side –- 2 in the back row and 2 in the front row. Initiate the play by […] The post Box drill to practice out-of-system setting appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: To train overhead digging, a critical skill in defense. This should be used as an emergency move for players who don't have time to make a defensive move to dig the ball. How it works: Players line up in right back with one coach at the net hitting balls at medium speed at the […] The post Overhead digging drill: Hands together and cup appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Train blockers to react quickly and efficiently to the slide. How it works: Several middle hitters line up in middle front to hit slides. On the opposite side, several middle blockers will be poised and ready to swing block to the left to block the slide. The middle hitters will hit slides one at […] The post Blocking: How to shut down the slide appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.